[ Master Plan ]

The Campus Today

The campus of Elmhurst College is an institutional resource of surpassing value. It has been a treasured center of teaching and learning since January 4, 1872, when the first class was held in a donated frame house on the newly established Prospect Avenue in Elmhurst, Illinois, then a rural town with 300 residents. Today, the campus covers 38 acres in what has become an appealing suburban community of 42,000, near the geographic center of metropolitan Chicago. The beautiful grounds are an accredited arboretum, with more than 650 varieties of trees, shrubs, and other woody plants.

What’s more, the campus abounds in educational resources. It has 24 academic, residential, and recreational buildings. Many are modern; one dates to the 19th century. In tangible form, their appearance and craftsmanship express a philosophy of education that honors tradition and aspires to excellence.

The past decade has been a time of substantial development on the campus. The most conspicuous improvements of the last ten years have been a new academic building, a renovated library, a fifth residence hall, an expanded student center, a new fitness center, and several high-profile exterior improvements, such as Alumni Circle, the Reinhold Niebuhr Monument, and the new Founders Gate on the eastern edge of campus.

Together, these developments have reshaped the landscape, sometimes subtly, sometimes significantly. For Elmhurst students, they have created abundant new opportunities: new ways to learn; new places to work out and hang out; even a new varsity sport (soccer) to play. In short, they have advanced the many ways Elmhurst students can discover, engage, create, understand, and grow.